I. Introduction
A. It is not unusual for me to change my mind regarding the theme of my message, but this time the entire emphasis has change and yet retained the same passage of Scripture. Let us first read the passage and then let me tell how things changed.
B. Mark 2:1-12 And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house. 2 Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them. 3 Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. 4 And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven you." 6 And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, 7 "Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?" 8 But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, "Why do you reason about these things in your hearts? 9 "Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise, take up your bed and walk'? 10 "But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" -- He said to the paralytic, 11 "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house." 12 Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!" (NKJV)
C. Church growth and evangelism are, it seems, always popular topics to talked about, if not act upon. In my mind, there are issues that arise in this portion of Scripture that are foreign to most programs of church growth with which I am acquainted. My initial thoughts regarding this portion of the Word were drawn to the devotion and resourcefulness of the four men to their companion, however the whole situation and scene seemed so far removed from my experiences, that I had to examine this passage in another light. These people came to Jesus in conditions and circumstances that most of us would probably find strange and uncomfortable.
D. The dilemma
1. According to a past issue of Focus on the Family Magazine, baby boomers expect 6 things in a church: good music, social groups, big meeting rooms, a quality kitchen, ample parking, and clean rest rooms. These 6 amenities are the initial attractors.
2. My first reaction upon reading this was to ask a question; did those who were surveyed already consider themselves to be Christian. If so, why was there no concern for spiritual things listed among the top six.
E. The questions
1. To whom was Jesus’ ministry directed?
2. How do expectations and needs differ?
3. What can we do to bring people to Jesus today?
II. Application
A. Before we attempt to answer these questions, let us examine our text and ask ourselves what happened in order to establish our foundation. Jesus public ministry had only begun a relatively short time earlier, however, even with radio television or telephone the news of healings and deliverance from demonic spirits traveled fast.
B. What was the reason for the gathering?
1. There is no implication or indication that this meeting was a planned event, instead it would appear to have happened spontaneously upon the news that Jesus was at this particular house.
C. Who was there?
1. What did these people want? What answers were they looking for? What did they hope Jesus would do for them?
2. From all indications this was a big crowd, standing room only. But the fact that there was a crowd was probably more impressive to others than it was to Jesus. He knew who was there. There is something about this crowd, that I would like to point out to you. There was a group in the audience that was not there to receive from Jesus, but instead they were there to examine Him and perhaps they were hoping to see or hear something that would justify their suspicions of Him.
a) Luke 5:17 Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present to heal them. (NKJV)
3. Don’t become overly enamored by large crowds. People may not always be there for the reasons that would please us.
D. What where the conditions for this gathering like?
1. Based on the item from the Focus on the Family article, we cannot ascertain just how many baby-boomers would of been there. The facilities were woefully inadequate, there is no mention of music, social groups, food and I suspect that the rest rooms left something to be desired.
2. The conditions were so crowded that all but the most determined who probably have just turned around and gone home. Can you just imagine a situation where everything is contrary to conventional wisdom and yet the crowds keep coming.
3. What I am trying to say is this; if you have something that people want, they will tolerate less than ideal conditions in an effort to obtain it. And not only will they tolerate less than perfect conditions to get what they want.
E. What was Jesus doing?
1. At the end of verse 2 we read, And He preached the word to them. There was a clear theme to the ministry of Jesus that we can see clearly established in chapter one of Mark. Although this event appears to have been a spontaneous gathering of the people when they heard that Jesus was present it did not catch the Lord by surprise, nor was He unprepared for all that would happen. The pattern that we see, particularly here in the first part of Mark is this: A clear connection between the ministry of the word and the performing of miracles. The preaching of the Kingdom of God and of repentance from sin is clearly put forth in the first chapter:
a) Mark 1:14-15 Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15 and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel." (NKJV)
2. And again the purpose and the link between preaching the word and miracles is established:
a) Mark 1:36-39 And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him. 37 When they found Him, they said to Him, "Everyone is looking for You." 38 But He said to them, "Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth." 39 And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons. (NKJV)
F. What motivated the paralytic and his four friends?
1. It seems pretty obvious what motivated the paralytic, he wanted to be healed. The motives of his four companions is less clear. The word that is used for bed denotes a “poor man’s” bed or pallet. Were they his relatives, tired of caring for him or were they his friends motivated by love for him. One thing though is perfectly clear, they were willing to take extraordinary steps to see that their friend got to Jesus.
2. It was not uncommon in those days for there to be stairs to the roof forming a sort of veranda. The description in Scripture is clear: they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. The roof was likely a flat earthen roof with branches laid over a support structure and laid over with dried mud. It was possible to literally dig a hole through the mud and dirt and branches and then lower the man through the rafters.
3. Can you imagine what the people in the room below and the owner of the house must have been think as some the debris started falling and the roof opened up. Think of the impact their compassion had, not only upon the man but perhaps among those who witnessed this scene that day. WE can never underestimate the impact examples of service and compassion can have upon those who witness our Christianity in action.
4. When H. M. Stanley went to Africa in 1871 to find and report on David Livingstone, he spent several months in the missionary's company, carefully observing the man and his work. Livingstone never spoke to Stanley about spiritual matters, but Livingstone's loving and patient compassion for the African people was beyond Stanley's comprehension. He could not understand how the missionary could have such love for and patience with the backward, pagan people among whom he had so long ministered. Livingstone literally spent himself in untiring service for those whom he had no reason to love except for Christ's sake. Stanley wrote in his journal, "When I saw that unwearied patience, that unflagging zeal, and those enlightened sons of Africa, I became a Christian at his side, though he never spoke to me one word."
G. What about those Scribes and Pharisees?
1. Too easy a target for ridicule; maybe, but they had become rigid in there thinking and they also represented the establishment. To them Jesus represented a threat to that which they perceived was good, traditional and stable. It is not a good idea, however, to dismiss them casually. First of all there should be an implicit warning to all of us that there are potential dangers in feeling that we have arrived and are the guardians of truth and the message of God. Another item to take note of is that they provided many opportunities for Jesus to declare and prove that He was God.
H. There are many applications of Jesus ability to heal and authority to forgive sins and although we may never be in a situation where the roof is opened and someone is lowered on a bed in the hope of receiving healing there will be many who come through these doors as well as many more who we might outside these walls who are in desperate need of salvation and forgiveness. We are the ones called to be His representatives in the mission to seek and to save those who are lost.
1. Among many excellent portions of Scripture regarding our calling II Corinthians 5 is among my favorites:
2. II Corinthians 5:18-20 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. (NKJV)
III. Conclusion
A. To whom was Jesus’ ministry directed?
1. There were no polls taken, no demographic surveys, Jesus ministry was open to all. He sat and had fellowship with people from all classes and stations of life. It would appear however, that it was those who were the hurting, the poor, the outcasts who received the ministry with the greatest joy and gladness. In my estimation it is a mistake to aim a ministry solely at good, decent folks like us. If we show a preference in the type of person that we want to minister to, we may flounder for a long time.
B. How do expectations and needs differ?
1. The man carried in on that bed had the hope, if not the expectation of something wonderful happening to him. He wanted to be healed, he wanted to be able to walk, but he had a greater need. He needed to have his sins forgiven. As we look for ways to be effective in ministering to peoples spiritual needs we need to be aware of and address their expectations and desires.
a) Recently there was an interesting item in a newspaper that illustrates the importance of mental associations in making decisions. A high school in Virginia offered a course called "Home Economics for Boys." Needless to say, it got little attention. So the following year it was renamed "Bachelor Living." You guessed it! The effect was overwhelming - 120 boys promptly signed up. The curriculum never changed. It still offered traditional instruction in cooking, sewing, laundry, and money management. But it needed the right image before the students would give the class a second look. As we present Christ to the world, let's not forget that the message must never change, but the methods may vary.
C. What can we do to bring people to Jesus today?
1. Certainly there are differences in culture and society, but people will rarely admit or even recognize their deep spiritual need. There is no one way, there is no magic program that works for all churches. The essential element may be this: To have love and compassion as demonstrated by those four friends who were willing to risk scorn and criticism to bring their friend to Jesus. I believe that when bringing people to Jesus becomes the primary objective, we will find a way. And when we find the way, Jesus will not disappoint. The true proof of any so-called church growth program or evangelism is this; does it result in people being reconciled to God.
2. This world is filled with those who are lost and have no hope. They need someone to bring a word of hope, will we be the ones:
a) Romans 5:5-8 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. 6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.(NKJV)
